B2 First Speaking Part 1 functional language board game
Instructions for students
You need one counter (e.g. an eraser or a coin) per person in your group. Place them all on the START square of the board on the next page. One of the other people in the group will ask you a Cambridge First Speaking Part One-style personal question about the topic and/ or using the word(s) in the square that you are on.
You move around the board by using phrases with some of the functions below while you are answering the question. You get one point for each kind of phrase for which you use a phrase that hasn’t been used by anyone yet. You don’t get a point if someone has already used exactly the same phrase, but even small changes to phrases count as new phrases.
Kinds of phrases which you can get points for:
- Checking (again) what the question means
- Commenting on the question/ Filling silence while pausing for thought/ Dealing with difficult questions
- Comparing yourself to the other people in your group/ Mentioning things which other people in your group have said
- Vague language/ Saying you are not sure (e.g. that you can’t remember exactly)
- Changing your mind/ Correcting yourself
- Explaining things/ Explaining things more (e.g. things that the examiner might not know or understand like names of things which are specific to your country)
- Giving reasons
Your partner will give one point for each kind of new phrase that you use, so concentrate on using as much of that kind of language as you can (even if you really understand the question, don’t really change your mind, etc). You then move one square for each point that you score, e.g. move three squares if you check what the question means, compare yourself to someone else and give a reason, all with original phrases.
The winner is the person who has gone furthest around the board when the teacher stops the game.
After you finish the game, brainstorm useful language for doing each of the things above. Your group will get one point for each correct thing which none of the other groups thought of.
| forward to | enough | every | any | START likes and dislikes |
| favourite | Move around the board by using different kinds of language in these categories: Checking (again) what the question means Commenting on the question/ Filling silence while pausing for thought/ Dealing with difficult questions Comparing yourself to the other people in your group/ Mentioning things which other people in your group have said Vague language/ Saying you are not sure (e.g. that you can’t remember exactly) Changing your mind/ Correcting yourself Explaining things/ Explaining things more (e.g. things that the examiner might not know or understand like names of things which are specific to your country) Giving reasons | education and work | ||
| what sort/ kind of | free time/ leisure | |||
| child/ younger | arts and media | |||
| last | transport and travel | |||
| would | entertainment | |||
| how | sports and exercise | |||
| recently | hobbies and interests | |||
| much/ a lot | holidays/ vacations | |||
| future | daily life/ daily routines | |||
| prefer | family and friends | |||
| normally | future plans | |||
| live | future life | |||
| the same | home | |||
| plans | music | |||
| regularly | technology | |||
| enjoy | interests | |||
| use | weekends/ days off | |||
| spend | commuting | |||
| have/ have got | TV | |||
| ever | movies | |||
| interested in | going to | this year | character/ personality | friends |
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